Thermostatic valve



Jan- 5, 1932. J. H. KoLTs THERMOSTATIC VALVE AT TORNEYJ Filed Dec. 22, 1927 Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN H. KOITS,v OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTSBURG WATER i JERSEY ENNSYLVANIA., A CORPORATION OF NEW THERMOSTATIC VALVE Application led December 22, 1927. Serial No. 241,766.

This invention. relates to thermostatic valves, and more particularly to pilot valve devices for gas burners and the like.

Among the primary objects of the inven tion are: to make safer, simpler, and more positive the operation of gas burner devices 0f the character specified; to simplify and reduce the cost of construction, installation, operation, inspection, adjustment and repair thereof; and to provide a rugged, fool-proof valve and burner construction adapted to a variety of installations.

More specifically the invention contemplates the provision of a combined pilot device and thermostatic valve for gas burners and the like, in which: full and rap-id opening and closing of the valve are assured; closing of the valve is accomplished byl a positive action of the thermostatic element upon extinguishment of the pilot-flame from any cause whatever; proteation of the valve and thermostat parts from `excessive heat as well as rom,mechanical strains is assured; and installation, inspection, cleaning, repair, initial setting, and subsequent adjustment if required, are `facilitated; and in which all these objectsareattained in a device of few parts and of substantial and durable construction.

How I attain the foregoing, together with such other objects and advantages as are incident to the invention or will occur to those skilled in the art, will be clear from the following description taken .together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a heater, showing in elevation my improvements applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through 49 the valve and pilot device of this invention;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar @o Fig. 1 illustrating a modified application of.

the invention.

Referring irst to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings it will be seen that I have illustrated a heater 2, through the side of the shell of which extends the shank 3a of the burner 3 (of any suitable construction) and through the bottom of which extends the expansion tube 4 of -my thermostatic valve' device 5, said tube containing a relatively non-expansible actuating rod 6. The tube 4 serves also as a gas conduit to the pilot jet or jets 7, located adjacent the heat conduction hood or shield 8 which is screwed or otherwise secured to the expansion tube 4.

The body or casing 9 of the valve device 5 is provided with gas inlet 10 and outlet 11, towhich the gas main or pipe 12 and the pipe 13 are respectively connected. The pipe 13 is connected to the main burner 3 of the heater. A separate gas pipe 14, which may take its supply from the main pipe 12,

delivers gas through a connection 15 and a l of any disalignment between valve and rod,

the valve may always seat squarely. To insure a tight seating of the valve it may be provided with a facing 22 of leather or other suitable material. A spring 23 between the valve 21 and the removable cap or cover 24 exerts a pressure constantly urging the valve toward its seat 17. Stem 19, at the end opposite the valve, has a reduced portion 25 forming a shoulder 26 which is adapted, first, to co-operate with the linger or dog 27 of the f lever 28 for holding the valve open, and second, to co-operate with the shoulder or abutment 29 :of the removable cap or plug 30 to prevent dissociation of the rod head 20 from the valve 21.

The reduced extension l25 of the valve rod passes out through the cap 30 and a packing 31 therein, the packing belng of any suitable compressible material such as asbestos and having a gland 32 for maintaining it gastight. A suitable button 33 may be mounted on the outer end of the stem for convenience in opening the valve.

The latch or lever 28 is pivot-ed on a pin 34 mounted in the casing or housing 9. Near D one end of the lever is a spring 35 seating in a cap 36 and bearing on the lever to urge the linger 27 into engagement with the shoul-. der 26 of the valve stem. The other end of the lever is adapted to be engaged by the end 37 of the rod 6, said rod extending from tube 4 through the asbestos'packing 38 and the opening 39 in the casing. For the one and only adjustment necessarvin the device, the rod 6 has a threaded end 40, for adjustment lengthwise of the surrounding tube, and a locknut 41 may be provided to maintain the rod in adjusted position.

In the operation of the device, gas to the pilot is admitted through ipe 14 and tube 4 and the pilot is ignited. fter the passage of a moment or two, to permit the pilot to heat and expand the tube 4 by conductionv through the hood 8, button 33 is pressed in, immediately placing valve 21 in wide open position, to permit gas from pipe 12 to flow through pipe 13 to the main burner, which is ignited byi the pilot. The heating and expansion of tube 4 by conduction from hood 8, which latter is kept hot by the pilot flame, raises the relatively non-expansible rod 6 and permits the linger 27 of lever 28, under the influence of spring 35, to engage shoulder 26 when button 33 is pushed in. From this time on the control of the gas to the main burner is under the inliuence of the hot water thermostat or other valve (not shown) which is ordinarily used with gas burning heaters.

Now if the pilot ame should be blown out, or go out from any other cause, such as temporary failure of the gas supply through pipe 1 4, the shield or hood 8 will cool, the tube 4 will cool and contract, and the rod 6 will be pressed against the end of lever 28, disengagingl dog 27 from shoulder 26 and permitting spring 23 to close the valve 21 with a snap, eiectually preventing any subsequent admission of gas to the burner and doing away with the danger of re or explosion. The valve can only be opened again by hand and will not remain open unless the pilot be ignited andthe valve be in proper working order. Thus, upon any re-opening of the valve after a failure of the pilot light, there is an automatic checking-up of the operation of the device.

Proper adjustment of the device may be made before installation, without heating the expansion tube, by adjusting the rod 6 against lever 28 so as to leave a little clearance between stem 19 and the linger 27 of the lever. -Positive closure of the valve by spring 23 is .thereby assured upon extinguishment of the pilot and cooling of the hood and tube. Furthermore the tube and rod, no matter how highly heated, can never be subjected in service to any strain beyond that exerted by spring 35.

The arrangement of tube, hood, and pilot jet is such that the tube is not subjected to impingement of the iame, thus assurin long life therefor. In addition, the location of the valve casing with its springs, leather valve facing, and other parts, remote from the heat conducting hood as well as the admission of thecool gas at the base of tube 4 through pipe 14 serve to protect said springs, valve leather, and other parts from any deleterious heat action.

By making thel Valve seat, member 17, which is preferably constructed of brass, removable through the opening covered by cap 24, the casing 9 may be made of cast iron instead of brass, thereby reducing the initial cost considerably. Cost of operation is cut down not only by the saving in wear and deterioration of the parts, as hereinbefore set forth, but also by virtue ofthe fact that the same pilot is used to heat the tube as to ignite the main burner.

Removal and cleaning or repair of parts, particularly of valve and valve seat, is obviously very simple, and cannot alter the given it by the gas pipes attached to it',-and,

since the tube may extend into the heater in any convenient manner. It may even be inserted horizontally into the heater, as shown in Fig. 4, instead of vertically, by a slight alteration in the shape or mounting of the conduction hood so as to insure its heating by the pilot jet. For example, when the tube 4 is to extend horizontally into the heater, it may be positioned over the shank 3a of the burner 3, extending through a common opening in the side of the shell 2 of the heater, or through a separate opening 2b (as shown) and in such an installation the heat conducting hood 8b is constructed to. extend along the side of the tube so as to be over the fiame of the pilot jet 7.

I claim In a thermostatic valve device for a main burner gas line, a valve casing having a main gas inlet and a gas outlet, a partition therein having a port therethrough, a valve in the casing at the inlet side of said port with means yieldingly urging said valve to close said port, a reciprocable stem for said valve extending through said port and through the casing wall at the outlet side thereof and having a shoulder, a yieldingly-pressed pivoted latch having one arm normally urged toward said stem and engageable with ysaid shoulder when the stem is reciprocated inwardly, an orifice through said casing at the outlet side, an actuating rod extending through said orifice having abutting contact with said latch at a point toward a side of the pivot which is opposite the'said arm, means preventing passage' of gas through said orifice around said rod, a thermostatic tubesurrounding the rod, fixed to said casin at one `end and to said rod at the other en a pilot fjet opening at said latter end of the tube for delivering a fiame'in position to heat the same and ignite the main burner, and a gas supply pipe connected to said tube.

In testimony whereof I- have hereunto signed my name.

` JOHN H. KOLTS. 

